Public House in Downtown Ferndale Launches New Vegan Menu
(Hometown Restaurant Group, June 17, 2022)
Ferndale, MI – Public House, 241 W. 9 Mile, in downtown Ferndale, and culinary consultant Meghan Shaw have teamed up to put a creative and inspiring spin on the restaurant’s vegan offerings, with an updated vegan dinner menu starting on Monday, June 20, and a new vegan brunch menu on Saturday, June 25.
Shaw is a veteran of Metro Detroit’s restaurant industry, including the kitchen at Public House’s sister restaurant One-Eyed Betty’s, and was the co-founder of the vegan pop-up restaurant Street Beet. Known for putting a delicious vegan twist on mainstream chain restaurant offerings, Shaw has responsible for some of the most creative vegan offerings in the area. She recently agreed to serve as culinary consultant to Public House and bring her vision to Ferndale.
Vegan menu favorites, such as the BBQ smoked carrots, poutine and the summer beet salad will remain on the dinner menu, and be joined by about a dozen new Shaw- designed creations.
The Fried “Chikn” Sammie comes in spicy or traditional, and is a vegan version of the classic crispy chicken with pickles and sauce on brioche, but with juicier and tastier protein than most traditional fast-food versions.
Fish & Chips also returns to the menu, this time on the vegan side using marinated, beer-battered tofu and served with perfect fries, coleslaw and malt vinegar aioli.
The Public House garden burger has been replaced with an Impossible “bacon” cheeseburger, topped with vegan tempeh bacon, steak sauce aioli and crispy fried onions.
Additional items that will be available starting Monday, June 20 on the vegan dinner menu include a vegan Po’ Boy with crispy smoked mushrooms; an enchilada burrito plate; Queso Dippy; Lemon Pepper Wet Wings, and Nacho Libre (vegan nachos with chorizo, pico, chiles, and guacamole).
New vegan brunch items will be added and available starting Saturday, June 25. The new menu will again retain menu favorites, such as Birthday French Toast, hash and salads, but brings a new round of vegan brunch plates and sandwiches. The Griddler Sammy is a vegan sausage patty with just egg and cheddar between two pancake buns that will have fast-food fans looking for the Golden Arches, while the Chik’n in a Biscuit features a thick, vegan chicken breast and pickles served on a jalapeno-cheddar biscuit, and topped with a hot honey sauce.
New vegan brunch plates also include Chickn’ & Waffles; a tempeh-bacon Monte Cristo; crispy shrimp and grits; a “crab” cake bene; and wet breakfast burrito. The new vegan menu items are joined by additional items to Public House’s traditional menu, including a Verlasso Salmon in tomato broth; skirt steak served with cucumber salad; and red shrimp tacos. Opened in 2013 as a classic American bar with a gritty attitude, creative food and great craft cocktails, Public House was purchased and remodeled in 2021 by Ferndale-based Hometown Restaurant Group.
Today, Public House preserves the best elements of its past, and softening the rough edges with separate vegan and traditional kitchens, a four- season garden patio and bar. Hometown Restaurant Group includes Public House; One- Eyed Betty’s, 175 W. Troy St.; Pop’s for Italian, 280 W. 9 Mile; and Tigerlily, 231 W. 9 Mile (formerly Antihero), which is scheduled for a summer 2022 opening.
In addition to working with Public House as a culinary consultant, Shaw will participate with other Hometown Restaurant Group chefs on Sunday, June 26 in the Hometown Pasta Slam challenge, which pits Shaw and five other chefs against each other to create their best pasta dish. The winner of the event will have their pasta dish featured on the menu at Pop’s for Italian for six months.
More information about Pasta Slam can be found at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5416255. Hometown Restaurant Group is a community of restaurants located in downtown Ferndale, Mich., each with its own distinct identity and flavor with a shared vision to invigorate our city. We do this through the continual evolution of food, drink and service to evoke a positive emotional reaction with our guests and staff. We believe that a commitment to our staff, community and uncompromising core values should always guide our actions. Learn more about Public House at https://www.publichouseferndale.com/
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